Thursday, December 06, 2012

Something for Thursday

Clearly I need to do a better job of planning for this feature! Anyway, Johannes Brahms's Symphony #2 in D has always been my favorite of his four symphonies, although #1 is always right there behind it in strong contention. The #2, though, is generally conceded to be the 'sunniest' of Brahms's symphonies, and that's saying something, because Brahms is not a composer known for long moments of optimism. Such moments abide in this symphony. Below is the symphony in its complete form, as played by what appears to be a youth orchestra from someplace in Asia.

You know what? I had a hart time picking which performance to use for this post, because there are a ton of good ones on YouTube, and I was down to this one or one other. But it's my blog and there's no reason to impose any arbitary limits, so if you feel like hearing the same symphony in the hands of a different orchestra, a European one this time, listen to this one, also wonderful. (This one splits the first movement across two videos.)

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Quotables

"Make your country...into a land that understands more than only war and righteous piety. Allow space in your lives for more than battle chants to inspire soldiers. Teach your people to...understand a garden, the reason for a fountain, music."

-Guy Gavriel Kay,The Lions of Al-Rassan

Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any creative art. The water is free. So drink.Drink and be filled up.

Stephen King,On Writing

We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring.